Strangers Like Me
by PunkyStarshine
Summary: "When she caught Santana's eye, Natalie blushed. She had the Cheerio to thank for this magical moment, and maybe it was the excitement of the moment but Natalie thought Santana almost looked... proud." Natalie is a new senior at McKinley and Santana is the first person she runs into. How will she fit in at this new school? Mostly Natalie/Santana, with inevitable mention of Brittan
1. Chapter One: Strangers Like Me

_Author's note: This story (which will be a multi-chapter) takes place during Santana's senior year. Nothing in Season 3 has happened, and I don't plan on following canon much, if at all, for that season. I'll probably reference events in seasons 1 or 2. I don't own Glee or the characters herein that also appear on the show. Though, I guess I technically own Natalie...Muahaha! Like Natalie, I'm new here, so go easy on me! :)_

Santana had just reached the doors of McKinley High, ready to embark on her senior year, when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming. She turned and saw a girl briskly walking away from an old, beat up car. She watched as the girl swept her long, auburn hair out of the way of the backpack she was sliding onto her shoulders. Her jaw was tightly clenched and her eyes stayed on the ground. A voice trailed out of the backseat after her, "Try not to screw this one up, will ya?"

Santana saw the new girl tense at the sound of what she assumed was the girl's younger brother. She quickly moved up the stairs, never shifting her sight from the ground, and bumped into Santana in her hurry to get through the front doors. Instinctively, Santana let out a harsh, "Hey!", causing the girl to snap out of it and raise her head to meet the eyes of the dark-haired girl in front of her.

Santana looked at the new girl and expected to see the usual expression of fear that her sharp tone would elicit, but instead she just saw a look of defeat as the girl quickly broke eye contact and dropped her head. Instead of the quivering begging of forgiveness the head cheerleader had grown accustomed to, she got a mumbled, almost automatic, "Sorry" spoken to her feet. Santana barely recognized her own voice as it softened a little and said, "It's fine". She pulled the door towards her, propping it open with her foot to let the new girl in. Surprised, she hesitated a moment, searching the Latina's face for a sign that this was some sort of prank. When she was only met with a sympathetic look, the russet-haired girl headed inside, nodding a silent 'thank you' to Santana as she passed and followed the numbered lockers to one that matched the sheet of paper she was carrying.

Coach Sylvester saw the new girl awkwardly sifting through her locker, trying to get textbooks out with one hand while reading her schedule with the other. "Fresh meat," she muttered as she took long, confident strides towards her next victim.

Santana closed her locker and turned to see Sue headed in her direction. She steeled herself for a verbal attack, but was surprised to realize Sue's gaze was locked on someone over her shoulder. She turned and followed the coach's line of vision and realized who the target was. "Let it go, Santana." She thought to herself. "Just be glad you're off the hook this time." She spun on her heel and walked towards her first class. She paused after a few steps and took a deep breath, unsure of whether or not she should do what she was about to do. She rolled her eyes at herself and pivoted back around, bee-lining for the new girl's locker, where Sue had just stopped.

"New Girl, you're not hideously ugly or morbidly obese."

"Uh…Thank you? I'm Natalie."

"I don't care what your name is, New Girl, I just want to know if you have any communicable diseases."

Natalie furrowed her brow and shifted uncomfortably in the shadow of the first teacher she had come in contact with. "Um…no?"

"Great. I couldn't have you infecting any of my girls. We need to be in top form for Nationals. I'm going to do you a favor and give you a chance to skip the awkward 'new kid' stage and try out for the Cheerios. If you don't make me want to strangle kittens, I might let you be on the bottom of our pyramid. Since my former head cheerleader had been sipping the Kool-Aid and is now too pure to be pink, we have an extra spot."

Before she could answer, Natalie felt an arm link around her own from behind. "Don't worry, Coach, I'll make sure she's Cheerio material before she wastes your time at tryouts."

Santana searched Sue's eyes, hoping she bought her line. She held her breath for a moment, since Sue's face didn't change, but her muscles relaxed when she saw a proud smile spread across her coach's face.

"That's my girl." She turned back towards her office, and Santana took the opportunity to drag the new girl quickly in the opposite direction, not caring where her first class was, just wanting to put as much distance as she could between them and the coach.

As soon as she felt they were far enough away, she pulled the new girl over towards the lockers and faced her. "Steer clear of Sue if you can. She'll ruin your life if you let her."

"Sure, thanks. She didn't exactly make it sound like I had much of a choice but to try out for the Cheerios…won't she be pissed if I just blow her off?"

"Maybe. But she's always pissed. It's up to you whether or not you try out, but either way, I've got your back." Santana winced as the words came out of her mouth. She meant it – she had a feeling of protectiveness towards this girl that she couldn't explain – but that sounded so cheesy. She felt better, though when she saw that the girl was blushing a little, giving her a warm smile.

"Thanks. I'm Natalie."

"I'm Santana. I'm kind of a big deal around here, so stick with me and you'll be fine." She motioned for Natalie to follow her as she took off down the hall, and Natalie did just that.

_Whatever you do, I'll do it, too. Show me everything and tell me how.  
It all means something and yet nothing to me._

Natalie took mental notes of everything Santana was telling her, but she was so ecstatic to have already made a friend that she was having a hard time concentrating.

"Try to avoid the football team; as the new girl, they're probably going to want to welcome you with a slushie facial." Santana said as they walked down the hallway. Two boys standing by an open locker waved at Santana as she passed. "That's Kurt and Blaine, they're pretty cool I guess." Santana tossed them a half-wave as they passed the boys and both of them glanced at Natalie and gave Santana a curious look. She rolled her eyes and kept walking. "I'll introduce you to everyone later. Right now I'll show you the shortcut to the bathroom that never has an annoying herd of girls in it."

_I can see there's so much to learn. It's all so close and yet so far. I see myself as others see me._

Natalie glanced back towards her locker, towards the front of the school. She shook off the memory of her awful morning and quickened her pace to keep up with Santana.

_I just know there's something bigger out there._

Throughout the morning, Santana showed Natalie around, gave her some tips for dealing with certain teachers, warned her about false directions the other seniors might try to give her. As they met up again after third period, they passed the two boys from earlier, who were now standing with a boy in a wheelchair and an Asian girl with dark eye makeup. The four of them were watching a tall Asian boy do a robotic dance, laughing loudly and ignoring all the stares of the students walking by.

_I wanna know, can you show me? I wanna know about these strangers like me.  
Tell me more, please show me. Something's familiar 'bout these strangers like me._

Santana made some quick introductions and Natalie learned that it was Tina and Artie watching Mike dance. "Where did you transfer from?" Tina asked her. Natalie saw Santana walk quickly down the hallway, trying to catch up to a small girl with short, blonde hair and a tan-skinned boy sporting a Mohawk of sorts standing by the lockers. "From Findlay, just a few towns over."

"Oh, nice. Well, we have to get to class, but it was nice to meet you!"

Natalie waved goodbye to her new potential friends, who disappeared down the hall, and turned back towards Santana, who was now leaning with her back against the wall, one foot propped up against it. Natalie was surprised to feel her heart flutter as she watched Santana slowly reach up and tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

_Every gesture, every move that she makes, makes me feel like never before._

Santana looked over and locked eyes with Natalie, giving her a small smile and motioning for her to come join them. Natalie didn't hesitate to head towards her.

_Why do I have this growing need to be beside her?_

Santana introduced her to Quinn and Puck as they all headed towards the cafeteria. Natalie was too excited to speak, but smiled and laughed along with them, feeling a warmth spread throughout her chest. As they walked past the auditorium, they paused at the doors to peek in. "I can't believe Rachel and Finn are rehearsing right now. It's the first day of school, and we have Glee rehearsal in like three hours." Quinn said, shaking her head. Puck laughed in agreement, "Well, we all know Finn could use the dance practice." The three of them kept walking, but Natalie lingered for a moment at the window to see what they were talking about. A tall, lanky boy was awkwardly trying to spin a petite brunette into a dip.

_Oh, these emotions I never knew of some other world far beyond this place._  
_Beyond the trees; above the clouds. I see before me a new direction._

"Come on, Natalie, let's go to lunch." Natalie followed Santana towards the cafeteria, letting her eyes linger on the duo and listening to the powerful voice of the small girl drift into the hallway.

_I wanna know, can you show me? I wanna know about these strangers like me._  
_Tell me more, please show me, something's familiar 'bout these strangers like me._

Throughout the rest of the day, Santana led Natalie to all of her classes. They had Spanish together with Mr. Schuester right after lunch. She sat to Santana's left while Brittany, a quirky, bubbly blonde with bright blue eyes sat to her right. Natalie could tell the girls were close and was pleasantly surprised as to how comfortably she slipped into cheerful conversation with them. She couldn't help but be excited when Brittany said, "See you guys after school" as she skipped off to her next class.

The rest of the day seemed, to Natalie, to be the longest afternoon ever. She listened to teacher after teacher drone on, giving almost identical "welcome back" speeches. Finally, the bell rang that marked the end of the last period and she almost knocked over her chair as she jumped up and practically ran out into the hallway to meet Santana. They stopped outside the choir room and Santana turned to Natalie and looked down at her hands. Natalie cocked her head to one side – is this the same girl who confidently paraded her around school all day, parting groups of stationary freshmen with just a look?

Santana looked up and met Natalie's eyes, standing up straighter. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Natalie smiled.

"Santana, I've been looking forward to this all day."

Santana kept her dark brown eyes locked with the sparkling green eyes of this girl she had met just this morning. It was hard to believe that her face ever held anything but that glowing smile, but Santana didn't think she would ever forget the broken look of the girl who climbed the stairs of McKinley High earlier that day. She gave Natalie a nod and a smile.

_Come with me now to see my world, where there's beauty beyond your dreams._

It was Santana's turn to be surprised as Natalie's shy smile made her pulse race.

_Can you feel the things I feel, right now, with you?_

Santana reached out towards her new friend.

_Take my hand, there's a world you need to know._

* * *

Natalie stood in front of this ragtag group, a unit made up of people so obviously different. The muscular jock with a mohawk nudging the nerdy boy in a wheelchair playfully with his elbow; the sweet-looking, blonde girl exchanging glances with a brunette with impeccable posture and argyle knee socks. She sang to them all, quietly, unsure, asking them - practically begging them - to accept her, to invite her into this unlikely family.

_I wanna know, can you show me_  
_I wanna know about these strangers like me_  
_Tell me more, please show me_  
_Something's familiar about these strangers like me_

When she finished, for a moment that felt like an eternity, all Natalie could hear was the beating of her own heart, loud in her ears. Then, almost as if on cue, the room burst into applause. She could hear a flow of compliments floating towards her, and a huge smile broke out on her face as she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She looked around at the smiling faces, all of them warm and welcoming. When she caught Santana's eye, Natalie blushed. She had the Cheerio to thank for this magical moment, and maybe it was the excitement of the moment but Natalie thought Santana almost looked... proud. As the applause died down, the girl in argyle socks and a matching headband chimed in, "Well, you're certainly not ready for the spotlight, but-"

"Shut it, imp. She's never sung in front of anyone before."

"I know that, Santana, that's why in was GOING to say, for someone as untrained and clearly inexperienced in the performing arts," the small brunette turned back to Natalie, "you sounded quite lovely."

Natalie blushed and started to thank her when the small girl jolted out of her seat and headed towards her, pivoting back to her classmates when she reached her side. "Since I need all the backup vocal support I can get, I think Natalie would be the perfect addition to New Directions, especially coming off our glaring defeat at Nationals last year."

Mr. Schuester got off his stool and took a step towards the girls in the center of the room. "Rachel, we-"

"Sorry Mr. Schuester," she interrupted, shifting her attention and addressing Natalie directly without missing a beat, "We made a valiant effort and if it weren't for certain...impulse decisions, we would have certainly placed."

Natalie stood perfectly still, listening to this new face talk a mile a minute, seemingly without taking a breath. "Anyway," Rachel continued, once again addressing the room, "I would like to officially vote for the acceptance of Natalie into Glee club. All in favor?" Rachel shot her hand straight up in the air purposefully and looked to her classmates to join her. A small girl in a leopard jacket and pigtails and Brittany, the blonde Cheerio from class, shot their hands up with equal fervor. The rest of the kids all started to casually raise their hands, sending curious looks towards their teacher. Some were even rolling their eyes, and for a moment, Natalie started to panic - had they hated her? Were they only raising their hands because they felt bad for the new kid?

Before her doubts had time to send a message to her feet to get the hell out of the choir room, Mr. Schuester stepped forward with more determination and put his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Thank you, Rachel, I'm glad we are all in agreement, but as I've told you before, anyone who auditions for Glee gets in. Singing is just a formality so we can get a feel for their range and style." Rachel pressed her lips together and gave a curt nod. "Right, of course. I just wanted her to feel welcome."

She turned and gave Natalie a small smile before returning to her seat and folding her hands in her lap. Mr. Schuester stepped closer to Natalie and put his hand around her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Let's officially welcome Natalie, our newest member!" Her peers clapped once again, all smiling and nodding at her. She turned bright red for what felt like the hundredth time in the past five minutes and mumbled a quiet "thank you". The teacher removed his arm and asked her to have a seat. Her heart skipped a beat at the idea of deciding where to sit. She felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw Santana patting the empty chair between her and the pretty blonde girl in the sundress. As she took her seat, Santana smiled at her and said, "Guess it's official, you're stuck with us. Hope you like it, since you'll never have another friend outside this room."

"Stop it, San, you'll scare her."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Q, how many parties have YOU been invited to this year?"

The blonde shook her head and turned her attention to Natalie. "Don't listen to her, she's just bitter because she has insulted so many people that only the masochists in this room will still talk to her," she said, shooting her friend a smug look. "Good job up there, by the way. We're glad to have you on board." She side-eyed Santana, "All of us." Santana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but kept an amused smirk on her face.

"Thanks, I've never been part of a club like this before."

"Honey, there IS no other club like this."

The bell rang and Mr. Schuester raised his voice to be heard over the rustling of kids getting ready to leave the classroom. He called after them, "Remember, since Natalie is new to the club, school and even to Lima, this week's theme is New! Blaine, you're up first! Let's show her how we do things around here."

"Got it!" The boy in a bow tie gave Natalie a wink before catching up with the pale-faced boy wearing an elegant scarf.

Curious, Natalie turned to Santana as they grabbed their bags from under the seats, "Is Blaine...I mean, are Blaine and...uh..." she started to ask, fumbling on the name.

"Kurt, yeah Blaine and Kurt are an item. Blaine actually transferred schools so they could be together."

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah, I know right, it's so cute I could puke."

The two girls started to head out and Natalie stopped at the piano to thank Mr. Schuester. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Santana's red uniform pause at the door. After she said goodbye to the teacher, Natalie turned and saw Santana adjust the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Let me give you a ride home. Joining Glee slapped a giant L on your forehead; you don't need to get a target on your back by taking the late bus." Natalie chuckled and thanked the brunette for the offer.

As they headed to the parking lot, Santana asked Natalie where she lived. "On Spencerville Road... Near the big cemetery.", she answered.

"Oh, perfect. You're right on my way home."

"Good, because there's no way I would be able to give you directions. I haven't been able to explore too much yet, so I don't know my way around."

"How do you like Lima so far?"

"Well I like the city about as much as I like the bean."

"Preach."

"But as far as McKinley goes, I was expecting something out of Mean Girls or Heathers, so the High School Musical welcome I got was pretty encouraging."

Santana laughed, "You're funny."

"You sound surprised."

"Well you didn't talk much today, so I couldn't tell if you were shy or casing the joint."

Natalie smirked, "Maybe both." The two girls chuckled.

"Thanks, by the way," Natalie added, looking down at her hands in her lap as she twisted her fingers together nervously.

"For what?"

"For showing me around, inviting me to Glee. I'm really glad it was you I almost knocked over this morning."

Santana thought back to the slam of the car door that had interrupted her first-day-of-school strut. "Whatever. You caught me in a good mood. I was having a great hair day." Natalie looked over at Santana and tried to read her expression, but it was impossible. Her eyes were trained on the road in front of her, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

As they turned onto Spencerville Road, Santana asked which house was Natalie's. "The gaudy green one right before the cemetery."

"Jeez, you're not kidding. It's huge."

"Yeah, I guess it's one of the oldest houses in Lima. A 'fixer-upper' the realtor called it."

"More like a knocker-downer."

Natalie smiled, "Well, thanks for the ride..." Santana pulled over to the curb and slid the car into park. Natalie continued, "...and for everything." Natalie climbed out of the car and started to walk towards her new house.

She stopped and turned when she heard Santana call out, "See you tomorrow." as she pulled away.

After fumbling with her key in the too-modern-for-the-house lock, Natalie pushed the large wooden door, cringing at the sound it made as it creaked open. There wouldn't be any sneaking out of this house...at least not through the front door.

"Natalie, is that you?" she heard her mother yell from another room. She cringed at that sound, too. Before she could answer, her mother appeared in the doorway that led to the kitchen on the left of the foyer. "Where the hell have you been? The bus dropped off the neighbor's kids an hour ago."

"I took the late bus," she lied. "I was meeting with some teachers to-."

"Good Lord, are you in trouble already?!"

Natalie bristled and continued in an exasperated tone. "No, I was just getting the summer assignments so I'm not behind." Natalie walked straight across the foyer to the staircase and started to head up. When she got to the landing where the staircase turned left, she heard her mother yell "Take off your shoes!" before disappearing into the kitchen. Natalie stepped out of her Converse sneakers and threw them towards the front door. They hit the wall beside the door with a thud and fell haphazardly on the otherwise neat shoe rack. She heard a distant, "What was that?" but ran up the second half of the staircase before her mother could reemerge.

Once on the second floor, she walked down the long hallway to the third and last door on the left and opened it to reveal another staircase. She started up it, closing and locking the door behind her. When she got to the top, she surveyed her new bedroom. A large, four-paneled bay window on the far wall filled the spacious attic room with sunlight. Her full-sized bed was along the right side of the room, the length of it barely covering a third of the long wall. In the center of the room was an old, faded, rectangular oriental rug that had been in the house when they moved in. The dull purple-and-gold thread was worn thin in some places, but Natalie had refused to let them get rid of it when they were dusting the cobwebs out of the rafters and bringing her furniture up the narrow stairway.

Natalie tossed her bag on top of the large, wooden trunk at the foot of her bed and meandered over to the window seat, where she sat and surveyed what she could see of Lima, Ohio. She pushed any thoughts of her mother out of her head and thought instead of Santana and her new friends in Glee club. She had spent the whole summer dreading this first day of school, but it turned out to be better than she could ever have hoped it would.

_[AN: The song is Strangers Like Me by Phil Collins with one purposeful change in lyrics by yours truly. Thanks for reading! To be continued...]_


	2. Chapter Two: Getting To Know You

Natalie stepped off the bus and dug her schedule out of her bag. She made a point to watch where she was going as she walked up the stairs and through the front doors of McKinley. She found her locker and exchanged her books from yesterday with ones she would need today. As she slammed the door shut, she was startled by the excited voice of someone who had just sidled up next to her.

"Natalie!"

"Oh, hi Blaine! You scared me."

"Sorry!" he laughed, "I was just excited I found you! I've been looking for you all morning."

"For me?"

"Yes you, silly."

Natalie smiled wide. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have plans for lunch today?"

"Not yet..."

"Perfect," Blaine responded, his playful smile flashing a hint of mischief.

"Why?"

The bell rang, urging the students milling in the hall to get to their homerooms.

Blaine started to walk backwards away from her, "Meet me outside on the staircase after second period," he said, before turning around and disappearing into the stream of teenagers.

Natalie furrowed her brow in the direction Blaine disappeared, then crossed the hall to her homeroom, wondering what on earth he could be planning.

After her homeroom teacher took attendance, Natalie smoothed her schedule out on the desk in front of her, trying to get a handle on it. The first two classes were classes she didn't have yesterday, and she found herself wondering if Santana would be in either of them.

Unfortunately, she didn't see Santana on her way from homeroom to her English classroom, but she was happy to see familiar faces when she realized Quinn , Tina and Artie were in her first class of the day. Tina and Artie were sitting at a two-person table towards the back of the room and Quinn was sitting in the one directly in front of them. She was twisted all the way around in her chair with her elbows on the table as she talked excitedly with her two classmates, who were paying rapt attention. Artie's eyes darted to to door and he straightened up suddenly and shouted across the room, "Yo, Nat! We saved you a seat, girl!" Quinn spun in her seat and removed her bag from the chair next to her, slinging it on the back of her own. The blonde gently pat the now empty seat and smiled at Natalie as she headed across the room to sit with them.

"I love your hoodie!" Quinn said cheerfully as she placed a hand on Natalie's arm. Natalie looked down at the thin, slightly faded, blue zip-up she had on and then at Quinn's crisp floral skirt and pristine white cardigan.

"Thanks," She responded with a smile.

Quinn continued, "That shade is my favorite color blue. Though my favorite color is green, it goes better with my eyes."

Natalie locked her own green eyes with the hazel ones that were now looking at her expectantly. A little thrown, Natalie continued.

"Um. I prefer purple." She wasn't really sure where this conversation was going. "It goes better with my hair." she joked nervously, her hand automatically tucking a stray auburn lock behind her hair.

Quinn laughed and adjusted the headband in her own hair. Just then, a tall, slender woman with wide, nervous eyes came hastily through the door, stopping abruptly when she got behind the large desk at the front of the room. She began to wring her hands nervously before saying something that Natalie couldn't hear over the din of talking students in the class. She watched as the woman pulled down her olive green sweater and smoothed out the front of her pencil skirt before trying to get everyone's attention, again unsuccessfully. She pressed her lips tight together and made a determined face before pulling a whistle out of her pocket and blowing it sharply, quickly replacing the voices in the room with a shrill screech. She looked more startled than any of the students she effectively silenced, and took a deep breath before slipping the whistle back in her pocket and clasping her hands in front of her.

"Thank you. As most of you know, my name is Miss Pillsbury and I'm the guidance counselor here at McKinley."

Natalie raised her eyebrow, wondering what kind of guidance the deer-in-headlights redhead could possibly provide.

Miss Pillsbury waited a beat before continuing, almost as if she was reciting a speech. "You're probably wondering why I'm here. Don't worry, I don't have any pamphlets for you today!" She laughed nervously at her own joke, and her ears turned pink when no one laughed with her. She cleared her throat and continued, "As it turns out, Mrs. Henry won't be teaching English this year. We have a substitute coming in, starting tomorrow, until we find a replacement. For today, just get to know your classmates. Ooh! I have an idea!" Miss Pillsbury clapped her hands excitedly. "Tell your neighbor what your favorite book is and why! It will be fun!"

Natalie hoped the guidance counselor had missed the collective eye roll as they turned to talk to the people next to them, decidedly not about literature.

Except Tina, that is. "I loved the Hunger Games series."

"Preach!" Artie agreed, one hand in the air.

The Asian girl looked to Natalie, who had turned to face her. "What about you?"

"Oh, I could never choose. I love reading, just about everything. But I think my favorite would have to be the Harry Potter series. At the very least, I've certainly read them the most."

Artie smiled, "And I love the movies. As a director, I really appreciate them, you know, artistically."

Quinn scoffed, "A director?"

Tina came to his defense, "He directed our Christmas special!"

"There were light sabers in it!" Quinn exclaimed.

Natalie laughed. "This I have to see!"

"Anyway." Quinn threw Artie another disgusted look before softening her expression and turning towards Natalie. "What's YOUR favorite movie?"

Natalie didn't hesitate before answering, "The Wizard of Oz. I love Judy Garland, especially in that movie."

Artie started to talk film again, the combination of black and white and color, and Natalie couldn't help but laugh again when he and Quinn started arguing, Artie about his qualifications and Quinn about the art of conversation. Tina was texting rapidly, until Miss Pillsbury appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and quietly asked her to put her phone away. The counsellor looked relieved when Tina smiled politely and obliged. Miss Pillsbury made a tiny exclamation of surprise when she realized that she didn't recognize the girl sitting next to Quinn.

"You must be Natalie! Will - oh, sorry, Mr. Schuester - told me that he had a new recruit!" She smiled at Natalie, then glanced around at Quinn, Artie and Tina. "And I'm so pleased you kids are getting to know your new classmate. I hope you're making her feel welcome."

Miss Pillsbury told Natalie that, even though she seemed to be doing so well already, she wanted to meet with her anyway. She spent the rest of the class period rattling on about how difficult being the new kid can be, while Natalie listened patiently.

The bell rang and Natalie assured Miss Pillsbury that she would make an appointment to meet with her. When they got into the hallway, Natalie barely had time to open her mouth before Quinn exclaimed, "See you later!" and rushed down the hallway, Tina pushing Artie hurriedly in the same direction. Natalie was too surprised by their disappearing act to say anything, but she half-heartedly waved at their backs, a little dejected, before checking her schedule to find out where her chemistry class was.

She brightened a little upon reaching the classroom, because Mercedes was there, waving her over to the lab station she stood behind. When Natalie reached the stool next to the dark-skinned girl, she received a glowing smile. "Hey girl, wanna be my lab partner?"

"Sure, but I have to warn you, I can barely make soup without burning my meal or myself, so I probably won't be very good at this."

"No worries, Mrs. Briggs is a big marshmallow. Her favorite saying is, 'There's no such thing as mistakes, only happy accidents.' So as long as we're doing something, she'll love it."

"Awesome. I love easy A's.!"

"Yeah, we lucked out. Sam is in Mr. Macrone's class, I hear he's a total troll."

"Well then I'm glad we're not in that class. I'm more of an English and Math kind of girl than History/Science."

"I'm more of the singing and and dancing type, myself."

Natalie and Mercedes were still laughing when a woman who looked to be in her mid-to-late forties came sweeping into the room, her short brown hair somewhat disheveled, juggling four bags on her shoulders. She dumped her bags behind her desk at the front of the room just as the bell rang.

"Ha! I made it! I think that's a sign that this'll be a great year!" She smiled at the class, undeterred by the fact that only a handful had been paying attention to her declaration. She turned to the board and scrawled "MRS. BRIGGS" in big, loopy letters across the board.

As Mrs. Briggs turned her now chalk-smudged face to the class and got their attention with a high, cheery, "Yoo hoo!", Natalie couldn't help but think the woman was right. Maybe this was going to be a great year.

* * *

When the bell rang to signal the end of second period, Natalie started to ask Mercedes where she was headed, but she was cut off before she could get her question out. "I've gotta run, see you later, Natalie!" Mercedes high-tailed it out of the classroom, without a second glance. Natalie tried not to take her rapid exit personally as she picked up her bag and headed into the hallway.

Her next class was the one she had first the day before, and no one from Glee was in it. She had a hard time focusing, wondering what Blaine had up his sleeve, and kept glancing anxiously at the clock. When the bell finally rang to signal the end of third period, she was the first one out the door. She didn't even bother stopping at her locker to stash her bag, she just headed right for the cafeteria.

Kurt flounced up to her moments after she walked through the wide double doors. "Hello there!"

"Hi, Kurt. Do you know where Blaine is? I'm supposed to meet him here."

"He asked me to greet you and escort you outside to the courtyard."

Natalie gave him a curious look. "Okay..."

Kurt smiled brightly and linked his arm in hers, leading her across the large lunchroom to the doors that led outside.

"Whoa." Natalie muttered under her breath. She had never seen such a big courtyard. It was as least as big as the cafeteria they had just exited, and featured gigantic, red bleacher-style staircase. Kurt quickly scooted down the stairs, and Natalie hustled to keep up. He led her to the middle of the courtyard and sat her at a table right in the center of the large stairs. She looked around the grand space and didn't see any of the Glee kids anywhere. "Kurt, where is-"

"Sit tight! We have a surprise for you." He grinned mischievously and waved up towards the platform above the courtyard. Natalie followed his gaze and saw Blaine standing up there, and watched as he gave Kurt two thumbs up, then leaned down to press a button on the large boom box at his feet.

Light, cheerful music began to fill the courtyard and Blaine began to soft-shoe down the long staircase in time to the piano melody pouring from the speakers on the balcony.

As soon as he got to where Natalie was sitting, he began to sing.

_Getting to know you_  
_Getting to know all about you_  
_Getting to like you_  
_Getting to hope you like me_

Natalie started to blush and felt a smile spread across her face. Blaine took a few steps back and opened his arms wide. Natalie noticed that some other members of New Directions were now coming down the stairs on both sides of the bleachers.

_Getting to know you_  
_Putting it my way_  
_But nicely_  
_You are precisely_  
_My cup of tea_

Natalie's smile grew wider as she watched Mike, Sam, Sugar, Kurt, Brittany, Finn

and Rachel dance around the open space, dosey-doing with each other, pausing to shake hands with their new partner every time. They did this while harmonizing with Blaine's smooth voice.

_Getting to know you_  
_Getting to know all about you_

Just then, Quinn appeared from behind Natalie, wearing a blue checkered dress and carrying a little basket with a stuffed dog in it. She placed it next to Natalie and smoothly joined the dancing going on behind Blaine.

_Getting to like you_  
_Getting to hope you like me_

Tina and Artie appeared next, weaving out from between the tables around where Natalie was sitting. Tina placed a Mockingjay pin on the bench next to Toto.

_Getting to know you_  
_Putting it my way_  
_But nicely_

Artie was sporting a fake lightening bolt scar and round glasses. He placed a long, wooden wand next to Tina's pin and followed her led in joining their peers in the simple yet elegant dance.

_You are precisely_  
_My cup of tea_

Mercedes then appeared, adding a Math and English textbook to the pile. Winking at Natalie before spinning into the throng of New Directioners.

_Getting to know you_  
_Getting to feel free and easy_  
_When I am with you_  
_Getting to know what to say_

Santana was the next and last to make an appearance. She made her way to where Natalie was sitting and paused in front of her.

_Haven't you noticed_  
_Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?_

She smirked, almost involuntarily, and handed Natalie a simple bouquet of bright purple violets.

Santana took a step back as the other members of the Glee club stepped forward and they stood together, singing to their newest member with one voice.

_Because of all the beautiful and new_  
_Things I'm learning about you_  
_Day by day_

Natalie laid the bouquet on her lap and clapped enthusiastically as their song came to an end. She heard more clapping behind her and she turned to see Mr. Schuester and Miss Pillsbury standing near the entrance to the cafeteria. No one else in the courtyard seemed to notice the elaborate performance, but Natalie had barely noticed there was anyone else out there with them by the time had started.

"You guys put all this together in one morning?" Natalie asked, still flabbergasted.

"Well we choreographed it last night and this morning, then added the details as they were texted to me throughout the day," Blaine explained. Behind him, Tina and Artie exchanged a high five.

"Wow that's so fast! And you guys were very sneaky."

"Yeah! We're like dance ninjas!" Brittany beamed proudly.

"Well thank you guys, seriously. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"It was our pleasure!" Blaine answered warmly. "This was actually Santana's idea."

Natalie looked to Santana. "It was?"

Santana shrugged. "You got me thinking when you said we gave you a High School Musical welcome. I thought we could do better, so I figured we could welcome you properly and fulfill our Glee assignment all in one shot."

Natalie's eyes met the cheerleader's. "Thank you."

"I didn't pick the cheesy song. And _he_ made me do the flower thing." Santana added, gesturing at Blaine before crossing her arms. "So lame."

She looked at Blaine and the rest of the Glee club, "Thank you again!"

Rachel stepped forward and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm running behind schedule for my midday vocal exercises, I really should be going. Adieu!"

"No worries, girl," Mercedes said, "I hate to dance and ditch, but I gotta get me some tots before they run out. See you inside!" She picked up the textbooks she had added to the pile during the performance and rushed inside.

The rest of the New Directions also started saying their goodbyes, taking their props, and going their separate ways, with the exception of Santana, Brittany and Quinn.

Quinn picked up the basket she had set down next to Natalie, completing her costume again. "Sorry, I promised the drama club I'd return the costume in full by the end if the day. Looks like I'm having lunch looking like Dorothy today."

The girls all laughed with her as they headed inside for lunch.

* * *

Brittany, Santana and Natalie had the next class together and got shushed three times for being unsuccessful in their attempts to stifle their laughter at the notes they were passing back and forth.

In their last class of the day, it was just Natalie and Santana. As they sat down, Natalie carefully placed the bouquet of violets down on the desk in front of her.

"I can't believe you're still toting those around," Santana scoffed.

"I don't want them to get crushed in my locker!"

Santana laughed. "Dork."

Natalie playfully stuck her tongue out. The bell rang and the teacher started rattling on about the roaring 20's. Santana carefully and quietly tore a page out of her notebook and scribbled, "Do you need a ride home after Glee?"

She folded it up neatly and held her arm out low, keeping her head forward in case the teacher looked back from the whiteboard he was writing on. Natalie also faced the front of the class as she reached out to where Santana held the note out. Natalie's hand brushed against Santana's and she felt a jolt of electricity stop her heart. She looked down at their now-touching hands and then up at Santana, who was now looking right at Natalie.

Just then, someone in the front of the class accidentally knocked their textbook of their desk, the loud thwack of it hitting the ground startling the whole room.

Natalie and Santana both jumped and the note dropped to the ground between them. Natalie took advantage of the murmuring that rippled through the room and dipped down to pluck the note from the floor. She tried to take a deep breath without being too obvious while she tried to slow her racing heart. She stole a glance at Santana, who was pretending to be extremely fascinated by her textbook, but couldn't seem to keep the corner of her mouth from turning up slightly. Natalie opened the note on her lap and read the message, smiling at its simplicity.

She wrote back, "If it's not too much trouble. The bus was gross this morning."

This time, she waited until the teacher turned to the board and quickly placed the note directly on Santana's desk. It didn't take long before she had another response.

"It's no problem, it's on my way. "

The teacher started walking around the room and passing out the homework assignments for the next few classes, so Natalie tucked the note into the back of her history book and mouthed, "Thank you." in Santana's direction.

_[AN: The song is Getting To Know You from the musical The King And I. I know the story is a little slow to progress right now, but things will pick up soon! Hope you're enjoying the ride.]_


	3. Chapter 3: A New Life

After school, the choir room was filled with laughter and chatter when Mr. Schuester jogged into the room and called for everyone's attention.

"First of all, I want to congratulate you all on a great performance at lunch today. A big round of applause for Blaine for organizing it."

The kids all clapped and Blaine popped out of his seat for a quick, gracious nod. Mr. Schuester continued, "Now I know you were all part of that performance, but does anyone else have a song for us today?"

A hand shot into the air almost before he finished his sentence. Mr. Schuester didn't even have time to say her name and Rachel was already standing beside him. "I have prepared a song that not only applies to Natalie as a new student, but it's one I think we can all relate to at this, the beginning of our last year of high school, about to head out into the world looking for greatness." At the last word, Rachel splayed her hands out in front of her dramatically, looking off into the distance for a moment. When she snapped out of her dreamy stare, she clasped her hands together in front of her. She turned to the man sitting at the piano and nodded sharply.

Natalie watched in amazement as Rachel practically transformed in front of her eyes. As the first few notes softly drifted from the piano, they seemed to cause the small brunette to melt, her body no longer looking tense or wound tight.

_A new life, what I wouldn't give to have a new life._

Rachel's voice started quiet, but strong. A soft smile replaced her usual over-enthusiastic expression.

_One thing I have learned as I go through life: Nothing is for free along the way._

Natalie followed Rachel's purposeful gaze as she sang and saw that, for a moment, she was singing to Quinn, who was sitting in the front row.

_A new start - that's the thing I need to give me new heart._

Rachel had a face full of hope and passion as she shifted her gaze from Quinn to the classroom as a whole. Natalie had participated in the variety show at her school and had heard some talented people sing, but she had never seen anyone feel a song, or emote every word as though it were her own. Rachel closed her eyes tight as she continued to sing.

_Half a chance in life to find a new part._  
_Just a simple role that I can play._

Unlike during rehearsals at her old school, no one was chatting or making faces though Rachel's performance. Some, like Finn and Quinn, seemed fixated on her every word. Others, like Mercedes and Tina, seemed more introspective as they appreciated the power ballad.

_A new hope - something to convince me to renew hope._  
_A new day, bright enough to help me find my way._

Natalie realized that her eyes were still bulging in awe of the pure talent emanating from the tiny, type-A diva. She shook her head to try to resume a normal expression and looked around the room to see that the other members of New Directions looked like they were enjoying the song, but did not look surprised in the least. It was clear to Natalie that Rachel's talent was not restricted to this particular song.

_A new chance - one that maybe has a touch of romance._

Natalie finished her sweep of the classroom, and she realized Santana was looking at her when their eyes met. Natalie automatically blushed, caught off guard by the brunette's gaze. Santana smiled at her and Natalie instinctually bit her bottom lip and couldn't help but smile back.

_Where can it be, the chance for me?_

Natalie tried to focus on the rest of Rachel's song, but she was suddenly hyper aware of how close Santana's hand was to her own, both resting on the sides of their chairs. She was now trying to watch the Latina from her peripheral vision, but it seemed as though Santana had returned her focus to Rachel.

The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Natalie was learning her way around school and she was feeling more and more comfortable in the choir room after school. Each song that was sung ranged in style, but they all shared two things - talent and passion. Natalie had never felt so free as when she was with these new friends.

On Friday, after Glee ended, Santana and Natalie headed to their lockers, agreeing to meet at Natalie's when they were done, since it was closest to the door. Natalie smiled to herself as opened her locker and loaded up her backpack with the books she would need for homework.

She heard someone walked up behind her and turned to face them. "That was fa-" She stopped mid-sentence when she realized it wasn't Santana standing there. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." Natalie started to turn back to her locker when the red-headed stranger stepped forward.

"No need to apologize, sweetness. You can always talk to Rick the Stick. In fact, I was thinking we should...talk after school today." He leaned against the locker next to hers and when he turned, she noticed his hair was cut into a mullet. That, combined with the sleaziness in his tone, caused her to involuntarily make a face of mild disgust. She tried to quickly replace it with a polite smile, but it was clear from the way his playful eyes went dark that Rick had noticed. He stood up straight and said, "You've been hanging out with Santana too much. Her bitch is rubbing off on you." Taken aback by the sudden switch in demeanor, Natalie raised an eyebrow at the boy.

Santana was turning the corner when she heard her name and stopped short. She saw Rick leaning against the lockers. "Oh God," she thought. She was about to head over to intervene, but hesitated when she saw Natalie brush her auburn hair off her shoulder and turn to face Rick. "Funny, I've been with her all week and she's never been anything but nice to me." Natalie looked him square in the eye and said, "I can't imagine why she would have been a bitch to you."

Rick opened his mouth as if to respond, but Natalie slammed her locker shut just then, startling him. She smiled a sarcastically sweet smile. "Have a wonderful weekend, Dick." He furrowed his brow in response and muttered, "It's Rick," before skulking off.

Santana smiled to herself from her spot at the corner. She headed towards Natalie then, flashing Rick a cocky smile as she passed him, to which he glowered in response.

Natalie took a deep breath as she slung her bag over her shoulder. She was glad Rick hadn't been able to hear how fast her heart was beating, that her fear hadn't been obvious. She was was relieved he had given up so quickly.

"Hey, you ready?" Natalie jumped a little at the sound of Santana's voice. She let out a relieved laugh.

"You scared me. Yeah, let's get out of here."

Natalie followed Santana out to her car, laughing at something the cheerleader said. They pulled out of the parking lot, waving goodbye to Quinn as she got into her car. As Natalie's house came into view, she saw her mother and brother in the driveway, unloading groceries from the backseat. Natalie slid down in her seat as far as she could. "Keep driving!"

"What?" Santana had started to slow down but accelerated again at Natalie's request.

"Just keep going, loop around the block."

"Okay..."

As soon as they were around the corner, Natalie sat up again. "Do you think they saw us?"

"They might have seen a confused teenager talking to herself as she drove by, but I don't think they saw you."

"Thank God."

"Was that your mom?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell her I joined Glee, she thinks I've been staying late to catch up on summer assignments I missed and taking the late bus home."

"Why haven't you told her? I mean, I know it's embarrassing to be associated with that dorkfest, but moms usually love that crap."

"I know, but I'm afraid she won't let me stay in it. I was in a similar club in my last school and that's where I met... That's part of the reason I had to transfer."

Santana had made it back around the block and, not seeing Natalie's mom anywhere, started to pull over. Just in case, she pulled up past her house a few feet, so she was closer to the next house down.

"What do you mean? Why did you have to transfer? I figured it was just because you moved."

Natalie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not meeting Santana's questioning eyes. She swallowed hard, trying to decide if it was too soon to tell her about what had happened. Remembering all of Santana's comments about being outcasts and losers, she decided against it. At least for now.

"I should go, I don't want my mother to get suspicious. Thanks for the ride."

"Sure." Santana watched with curious eyes as the lean girl got out of her car, wondering what secrets she was taking with her.

As she headed down the sidewalk, Natalie turned back towards Santana's car. She saw the brunette fix her ponytail in the mirror, making sure no hair was out of place, before shifting the car out of Park and pulling away.

_A new dream - I have one I know that very few dream._  
_I would like to see that overdue dream - even though it never may come true._

Natalie turned back towards her house and sighed before heading inside.

"Natalie, get in here please."

Natalie rolled her eyes and kicked off her shoes, leaving them by the door.

"Natalie." Her mother's voice grew stern.

"I'm coming," Natalie grumbled. She followed her mother's voice towards the living room, where she found her surrounded by poster boards plastered with their last name.

"Natalie, I was next door introducing myself to our neighbors, and their son goes to McKinley, too. He also stayed late today."

Natalie shifted impatiently and waited for her mother to make her point.

"He got dropped off by the late bus half an hour ago. Imagine my disappointment when I came home and you weren't here."

Natalie's heart raced a little. She didn't expect to be caught this soon. She thought she would have had time to plan this speech. Looked like she was going to have to wing it.

"Well, young lady, care to tell me where you've been?"

"Well, I was talking to my Spanish teacher after school today and he told me about a club he runs, he told me I should go check it out, make new friends."

"And what kind of club is that?"

"Glee club. You know, singing, performing...kind of like the club I was in last year."

Natalie's mother clenched her jaw, but then composed herself before continuing.

"And how did you get home?"

"Someone in the club drove me. They live nearby."

Natalie's mother searched her daughter's face; for what, Natalie didn't know. She seemed satisfied enough by the response and turned back to her poster boards.

"Don't forget, I'm running for city council. Don't do anything that will embarrass me."

Natalie pressed her lips together to keep the angry words that were bubbling up inside her from coming out. She turned on her heel without saying a word, amazed at how fast her mother could ruin even the best of moods.

_A new world - this one thing I want to ask of you, world._  
_Once, before it's time to say adieu, world. One sweet chance to prove the cynics wrong._

Natalie slammed her bedroom door and walked over to the iPod dock on her dresser, pressed play, and turned the volume up. She tossed her bag on her trunk and lay down on the purple carpet, closing her eyes and letting the music wash over her. She ran her hands across the carpet at her sides; it comforted her somehow, knowing other people had been exactly where she is now. She traced her fingers along the threads, feeling the places where it was thinner than the rest of the rug, worn but still strong.

Thoughts of her day floated into her head, memories of Blaine's performance, of being shushed for giggling in class, of the bouquet of violets she had fashioned to her locker door, upside down so they would dry out and last longer. She smiled as she remembered how comfortable she had felt in the choir room after school, even after knowing these people for only two days.

_A new life - more and more, I'm sure, as I go through life,_  
_just to play the game and to pursue life, just to share its pleasures, and belong._

She thought of passing notes with Santana and the way she felt when their hands touched, of Rachel's song, of the way Santana had looked at her in the car, seeming genuinely interested in hearing about her life.

She decided she wasn't going to let her mother take this away from her. She had found people who didn't know or care about her past. She was ready to start fresh.

_That's what I've been here for all along._  
_Each day's a brand new life._

With renewed energy, she got up and dug her phone out of her bag. She walked over and sat on her window seat as she tapped out a message.

Santana's phone went off as soon as she shut the door to her bedroom. She felt herself smile when she saw who it was from.

"Thanks again for the ride."

"No problem. Offer stands for any time I'm going home after Glee."

"Awesome, thanks :)"

Santana smiled to herself as she put down her phone and started to change out of her Cheerio uniform. Her phone beeped again and her heart jumped a little. "Get a hold of yourself, Santana."

Her eyebrows scrunched a little when she saw it was Brittany. "Are you still coming over tonight after dinner?"

"Yeah, B. I'll be there around 8."

"Gruel! :)"

Santana couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's choice of words.

"What's wrong, San? You seem quiet."

Santana was sitting on the edge of Brittany's bed, staring absentmindedly at her feet. She looked up at Brittany, who turned from admiring the striped top she just put on in the mirror.

Brittany waited patiently for an answer as Santana weighed whether or not she wanted to get into it. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep it from the blonde.

"I sort of have a crush-" She winced at her word choice. "I think I... like Natalie."

She watched Brittany's face carefully to gauge her reaction. Her eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly, but she kept a smile on her face.

"That's great, Santana."

"Is it? It feels... I don't know, it almost feels wrong. I haven't liked anyone since..." Santana let her voice trail off, not sure how to end the sentence. It's weird talking to your best friend about your last love when she was your last love.

Brittany didn't let the end of Santana's sentence hang in the air too long. "I don't see anything wrong with it. I like Natalie, she's sweet." She walked over and sat next to the brunette.

"She's funny too, when she gets comfortable," Santana added.

Brittany smiled warmly at Santana and put her hand on top of the tan one resting on the bed. "You should ask her out."

Santana rolled her eyes, "I can't just ask her out, Brittany. I don't even know if she likes girls."

"So ask her."

Santana sighed, wishing things were really as simple as Brittany made them seem. "I can't."

"Is it because you asked me out and I couldn't say yes because I was dating Artie? And you're afraid of getting hurt again?"

Santana's heart dropped at the memory. "No," she said curtly. Seeing the hurt expression on Brittany's face she added a quiet, "Maybe."

She looked at the blonde girl sitting across from her, wondering why the world didn't see what she saw. People called her dumb, but here she sat, practically reading Santana's mind. Brittany might not know the square root of 49, but she knew people. She knew Santana.

"I could find out for you. That way you could know for sure. But I've seen the way she looks at you, San."

Santana felt her cheeks grow hot at this, but kept herself from smiling too wide.

"Thanks, Britt."

"Of course!" The blonde bounced off the bed and sat down at her desk. "That's what best friends are for!" She smiled brightly at the Latina before turning and opening her laptop. "Now come here, I want to show you some funny pictures I took of Lord Tubbington earlier."

Santana shook her head as she got off the bed and joined Brittany on her computer chair. She listened to her giggle as she flipped through pictures of her cat and wondered if she would ever feel the same way about anyone the way she once felt about Brittany. Sure, they had decided in the middle of the summer to just be friends (and decided towards the end of the summer that being just friends meant no more hooking up), and Santana was grateful to still have the bubbly Cheerio in her life. But she still remembered the way it felt when she held Brittany and how much it had hurt when Brittany had chosen Artie over her. She wasn't sure she could go through that again.

* * *

_[AN: The song is this chapter is "A New Life" from the musical Jekyll and Hyde. Sorry it has been two months since I posted, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner than that! Happy holidays.]_


End file.
